Western North Carolina Alliance, Environmental and Conservation Organization and the Jackson-Macon Conservation Alliance—three regional grassroots environmental organizations in the process of merging—are pleased to welcome Mark Stierwalt as director of their Southern Regional Office.
Stierwalt has taken over the position most recently held by Mary Jo Padgett, long-time executive director of Environmental and Conservation Organization. Padgett co-founded ECO in 1987 to preserve the natural heritage of Henderson County.
Stierwalt’s role is to ensure that the new organization’s Southern Regional Office continues to be a strong resource for the public on environmental issues and to engage, organize and lead the community in advocacy on local environmental issues, as well as on state and federal issues that are priorities for the organization.
“I’m excited to become an integral part of such a strong team,” Stierwalt said. “ECO’s success over the past 27 years has been hard fought and well deserved. The volunteers and supporters have made this organization what it is today, and I’m proud to carry the torch to help protect our heritage, our environment, and most importantly, our quality of life in WNC.”
Stierwalt lives with his wife and two children on a tributary of the Green River in southern Henderson County. He’s proud to call himself “a true woodsman and river dog,” though he spends most of his free time building and maintaining trails, mountain biking and skiing.
Stierwalt joins the organizations at a pivotal time. This past spring, the memberships and boards of directors of WNCA, based in Asheville; ECO, based in Hendersonville; and J-MCA, based in Highlands-Cashiers, voted to merge into a single environmental nonprofit whose staff and members would have greater impact locally, regionally and statewide.
These three organizations, each with deep roots and strong histories of environmental advocacy in their communities, are combining resources and expertise to attract new members and build a larger community of advocates for the protection of Western North Carolina’s precious natural resources and quality of life.
The Asheville office has also recently added Joan Walker as campaign coordinator for the region, and Sara Alford as director of development. Walker was most recently the high-risk energy coordinator with the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, with a focus on coal ash issues in the Southeast. Alford brings a high level of fundraising expertise, having worked as the development officer for the Wildlife Conservation Society, promoting and raising funds for more than 450 programs and projects around the world.
Upon completion of the strategic planning and branding process for the newly created organization later this fall, the name and logo of Western North Carolina’s new voice for environmental advocacy will be announced.
The merged organization will have offices in Asheville, Hendersonville, Boone and Franklin, allowing for increased engagement with communities across all of Western North Carolina.